The elections draw ever near. Michigan voters, as well as those in the rest of the country have all the information needed to make the right decisions. But as the flag bearer of the Democrats proselytizes “change” and “hope” to our citizens, the voter sometimes tends to forget some very hard learned lessons however..
The May 28, 2008 WSJ commentary on the subject, pretty much reminds us..
“Officials in Lansing reported this month that the state faces a revenue shortfall between $350 million and $550 million next budget year. This is a major embarrassment for Governor Jennifer Granholm, the second-term Democrat who shut down the state government last year until the Legislature approved Michigan’s biggest tax hike in a generation. Her tax plan raised the state income tax rate to 4.35% from 3.9%, and increased the state’s tax on gross business receipts by 22%. Ms. Granholm argued that these new taxes would raise some $1.3 billion in new revenue that could be “invested” in social spending and new businesses and lead to a Michigan renaissance.
Not quite. Six months later one-third of the expected revenues have vanished as the state’s economy continues to struggle. Income tax collections are falling behind estimates, as are property tax receipts and those from the state’s transaction tax on home sales.”
Its not too hard to connect the dots between failed social “progressive” policies and an ever increasing burden on taxpayers, and then.. the ultimate response: People will go away, or at the very least, invest less, and shrink their spending to what is only necessary for survival.
The fight in the legislature and executive branch of this great state began when Granholm was made governor of Michigan. The ultimate test of socialist resolve rests on the shoulders of liberal ideology implemented through planned economy and government manipulation of resources. The great works of those on the left are pitiful in their results however, when compared to real market based solutions which arrive from an actual need for a service or product.
Granholm has on many occasions talked about “Cool Cities,” a utopia of modern society where life is good, we kind of “hang out” and be a great big loving community once again.. but as Industrial policy notes:
“The Knowledge Problem. How exactly does government know what constitutes cool when it anoints cities like Detroit, Flint, Pontiac and “Hipsilanti” as cool cities and gives them grants or other favors? Moreover, how do they know young, hip, creative people won’t think a city is uncool once so designated by the mother of all authority figures — the state.”
Point is.. “change,” and “hope,” and “cool,” have simply become code words for “Tax,” and “Spend,” and “confiscation.” While we all want a paradise, we cannot create it out of thin air by destroying the incentive to create it. I have pointed out in the past, that health care as we know it is in jeopardy, as government moves in to control even more of of it.
Until we recognize that even “Charity” and “hope” is best served by true market forces, we will fail miserably again, and yet again.